Woman who stabbed boyfriend could avoid jail for the sake of her career

By Abigail Malbon| 2 years ago

Facebook/Lavinia Woodward

A medical student who stabbed her boyfriend with a bread knife may escape jail time because of her promising career prospects as a heart surgeon.

Oxford University student Lavinia Woodward stabbed her then-boyfriend after punching him in the face during an alcohol and drug-fuelled row in September last year. The 24 year-old then threw a laptop, glass and jam jar at her partner, who she had met on Tinder. She has since admitted unlawfully wounding the Cambridge University student.

Facebook/Lavinia Woodward

Judge Ian Pringle QC explained that he would defer sentence for four months. “It seems to me that if this was a one-off, a complete one-off, to prevent this extraordinary able young lady from not following her long-held desire to enter the profession she wishes to would be a sentence which would be too severe,” he said.

“What you did will never, I know, leave you, but it was pretty awful, and normally it would attract a custodial sentence, whether it is immediate or suspended,” he said.

Woodward, who lives in Milan, Italy, will be allowed to return to Christ Church college, which is part of Oxford Uni, in October this year to continue her studies because she is “bright” and has had work published in medical journals.

Her lawyer had told the court that her dreams of becoming a surgeon were “almost impossible” as her conviction would have to be disclosed.

Woodward will be sentenced this September, and has been given a restraining order and ordered to stay drug free.